02-08-2018 Outdoors

Fishing Rain and warmer temperatures recently deteriorated some of the ice along the Great Lakes the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reported. Those out fishing on any large body of water such as Saginaw Bay will need to pay close attention to wind direction. Inland lakes in the Southwest Lower Peninsula, after the rain and warmer temperatures, had little snow cover and were slippery. Anglers will want to bring cleats for easier travel advises the DNR. Those out fishing have caught a fair to good number of Bluegills, Crappie and Perch. Ellinee Bait & Tackle on Paw Paw Lake by Coloma reported the cold temperatures that moved in this week, has strengthened the ice and anglers were back out. Sherwood Bay and the channels on Big Paw Paw Lake were busy as well as Little Paw Paw Lake. Other inland lakes were being fished also and all were taking in some nice Bluegill and Crappie. Pike anglers were getting their share too. The St. Joseph River was producing some Steelhead during the rain and warm weather last week. Anglers on the Kalamazoo River caught a couple Steelheads up near the Allegan Dam. Anglers on the Grand River at Grand Rapids caught Steelhead and a few Walleye below the 6th Street Dam. Steelhead was also found in the Rogue when the shelf ice was gone.

The DNR tip this week is how to fish for Walleye and Whitefish on Saginaw Bay. Many anglers flock to Saginaw Bay in the winter to target Walleye and experience an added perk – the possibility of catching Lake Whitefish. To target Walleye, many anglers jig with spoons of various colors. You may want to tip your spoon with a minnow to further entice them. To target Lake Whitefish, many anglers use spawn or a wax worm on a spoon to encourage bites. Winter weather can create conditions that cause fish and other aquatic creatures to die. To simplify the public’s ability to report fish kills, the DNR recently developed an online form for reporting fish kills in quantities larger than 25 fish. A fish kill of this size could have more factors involved that need further DNR investigation. The new Sick or Dead Aquatic Species form can be found in the DNR’s Eyes in the Field application at www.michigan.gov/eyesinthefield. The DNR reminds everyone that after the ice and snow cover melts on Michigan’s lakes this winter it may be common to discover dead fish or other aquatic creatures. Severe winter weather can create conditions that cause fish and other creatures such as turtles, frogs, toads and crayfish to die. Last year the DNR, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and Michigan Technological University received an $117,175 grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation to support Michigan’s Arctic Grayling initiative, an effort to reintroduce Arctic Grayling into the state and restore self-sustaining populations of this native fish. The initiative has grown since 2016 and now the partnership includes more than 40 organizations. For more information, visit migrayling.org.

Hunting The DNR announced the three lucky winners of the ninth annual Pure Michigan Hunt. They are Don Rademacher of Lake Odessa in Ionia County, Jim Tilton of Alma in Gratiot County and Amy Ornetowski of Tawas City in Iosco County. Each winner got a pocketful of licenses and more than $4,000 worth of hunting gear. Winners receive elk, bear, spring and fall turkey, antlerless deer licenses and a base license to be used in 2018. In addition, the winners, along with three hunting companions, will get first pick opening morning of the waterfowl season at any of Michigan’s premier managed waterfowl hunt areas. Rademacher, Tilton and Ornetowski each also won a package of gear donated by Michigan businesses and organizations. Among the many donated items were an engraved Henry Golden Boy .22 long rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, a Under Armor pop-up blind, Jet sleds, a $199 Cabela’s gift card and two-day/two-night guided hunt. Plus, many more items.

Each $5.00 Pure Michigan Hunt application purchased helps fund wildlife habitat restoration and management in Michigan. The 2018 drawing saw a total of 35,214 applications purchased by 12,708 individuals, and generated more than $176,000 for habitat restoration and improvement efforts. Michigan State University and the Michigan DNR will be placing location-tracing collars on white-tailed deer in south-central Michigan as part of a multiyear study of deer disease, including chronic wasting disease. The study will assess deer movement and distribution patterns, and their influence on disease spread in and around Clinton and Ingham counties. This is one of a series of aggressive actions to address CWD in Michigan’s deer population and to maintain healthy wildlife for current and future generations. A scientifically based understanding of localized deer dispersal rates, timing and direction, seasonal movement patterns and basic population characteristics is critical for developing effective disease control strategies. Information about the deer movement study can be found at www.bcqwc.org/cwd.html.

This winter is providing us with plenty of snow and a busy cross-country ski and snowshoe season at the Nature Center. Some snow makes for better skiing or snowshoeing conditions than others and many factors such as atmospheric conditions and ground temperature can affect the type of snow that falls. Snow forms during a storm when temperatures are below 32-degrees and a nucleus of dust or salt attracts water molecules from cloud droplets. They accumulate and form ice crystals that become large enough to fall to the ground, often changing shape along the way. When observing the snowflakes close on a dark glove or with a magnifying glass, different crystal shapes can be noticed. The type of crystals formed in a snowstorm determines the snow cover that people and wild animals and plants deal with. Some common crystals observed are stellar or dendrite star-shaped crystals, column crystals and hexagonal crystals. Stellar crystals form when there is plenty of moisture and not too cold temperatures, often creating a slow, peaceful snowfall and good ski conditions. Cross-country ski with Sarett naturalists at the Ross Coastal Marsh Preserve on Sunday, February 11, at 1:00 p.m. Cost is $10 with rentals available. On Saturday, February 17 bring your kids ages 7-12 (adults welcome too) for nature crafts at 1:00 p.m. Craft costs are $1-$2. Please call to register at 269-927-4832 for both events.

Tree planting grants available from Michigan Arbor Day Alliance to Michigan communities

The Michigan Arbor Day Alliance is currently offering local units of government, public educational institutions, public libraries, non-profit organizations, neighborhood associations, churches and tribal governments the opportunity to apply for a Michigan Arbor Day Alliance Tree Planting Grant. This program was previously known as the Go Green Youth Challenge Tree Planting Grant. In 2017, the Go Green Youth Challenge was replaced by our Fifth Grade Arbor Day Poster Contest. Our dedication to tree planting and educating about all the wonderful benefits trees give us has not changed and so it was decided to maintain the grant program under a new name. Grant applicants may request up to $2,000 to fund tree planting projects in their community. Grant funds may only be used to purchase trees. Applicants must show evidence of a 1:1 match for anticipated money. This is a statewide grant opportunity for Michigan projects only. Grant applications are available on the Michigan Arbor Day Alliance’s website. Please visit www.miarbordayalliance.org to download an application. Applications are due by mail no later than April 30, 2018. Funded plantings must be completed by December 31, 2018. The Michigan Arbor Day Alliance would like to thank our program sponsors for helping make these programs possible: ITC, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Lansing Board of Water and Light, Eaton Conservation District, and Michigan State University Federal Credit Union. The Michigan Arbor Day Alliance is a coalition of organizations and agencies dedicated to the promotion and celebration of Arbor Day throughout Michigan. Our dedication comes from our belief in the importance of trees and their role in community health and well-being. Since 1993, MADA has provided educational programs and services to Michigan communities. The Michigan Arbor Day Alliance is a program of the Eaton Conservation District in Charlotte, MI and is made possible through support from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.